Header construction



HEADER CONSTRUCTION Filed July 14, 1923 4 s t 1 INVENTOR. Ge or e HHarJ-is BY mm A ORNE Y April 13 1926. 1,580,886

G. 'H. HARRIS HEADER CONSTRUCTI 0N Filed July 14. 1923 4 Sh t -Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

/ I Gear e H. Harris BY 62 mm TTORNEY April 13 1926.

G. H. HARRIS HEADER CdNSTRUCTI ON Filed July 14. 1925 4 s t -Sheet 5 JNVENTOR. H.Ha1-ris TORNEY l Gear e By g A ril 13 1926.

G. H. HARRIS HEADER CONSTRUCTION Filed July 14 1925 G0 or 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR.

e HHazrs BY '6; MM.

A A CRNEY Patented Apr. 13, 1926.

UNITED T j v I 1,580,885

GEORGE H. HARRIS, OF STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA.

HEADER consrnno'rron.

Application filed July 14, E23. Serial No. 651,481.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, GEORGE H. Harms, a citizen of the United States, residing at Stockton, county of San Joaquin, State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in I-Ieader Construction; and I do declare the following tobe a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this application.

This invention relates to improvements in combined thresher and header construction, and particularly to'that type of harvester intended for side-hill work.

In this type of machine, the thresher of the harvester, even when operating on a hill, is caused to maintain its normal horizontal setting at all times, while the header of course moves to assume the angle of the hill, since it must remain parallel to the ground over which it is operating. This horizontal setting is had by means of the usual vertically adjustable swing frames on which the thresher is mounted, and such as is shown in my copending application for patent, Serial No. 6%,981, filed July 2nd, 193.

This necessitates a flexible or hinge form of connection between the thresher and the header, and as constructed previous to my invention, such connecting means caused the header and its supporting wheel to be thrown out of parallel alinement with the line of movement of the thresher when working on a hill. This of course induced side-draft, and rendered it hard to maintain the thresher in a straight line, and otherwise destroyed efficient operation.

The principal object of my invention therefore is to avoid the above named defects of operation, by constructing the header-frame, and connecting it to the thresher, in such a manner that regardless of the angle or slope of the header relative to the thresher, the header-supporting wheel will always remain parallel to the line of travel of the harvester.

These and other objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arr'angementof parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims. r

In the drawings similar characters of refere'nce' indicate corresponding parts in the t I several views: I

Fig; 1 is a top plan view of the complete header, showing its connection to the thresher.

Figs. 2 and 3 are rear end views of the same, showing the header operating on level and sloping groundrespectively.

Fig. 4c is a top plan view of the main header frame and the members by which it is connected to the thresher. I

Fig. 5 is an enlarged elevation, cut away intermediate the ends, of the main header frame.

Figs. 6 and 7 are end views of roller bearing members mounted on the header frame.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings, the numeral 1 denotes the frame of the thresher, on the sides of which,-in the sidehill type, are the usual wheel-supported swing-frames, one of which is shown at 2. These frames are arranged for independent vertical swinging movement relative to the frame 1 in a plane longitudinally thereof, as is common construction in harvesters of this character.

Beyond or outwardly of one of the swing frames, and extending at right angles to the tliresher in substantial alinement with the forward end of said swing frame is the horizontally disposed main header-frameS, mounted on which and extending forwardly thereof is the usual header structure and mechanism, including cutter bar 4, reel 5 and draper 6, the weight of which; is balanced with respect to the frame 3 by weighted arms 7 projecting rearwardly thereof. Y

The header frame 3 is a built-upstructure in the form of a vertically disposed truss of the Queen-post type, with unequal bays, as plainly shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 5. This construction gives great stren. th and resistance to the frame against deflection in a vertical plane.

Mounted on and projecting above the main member 3 of the frame 3 are two longitudinally spaced sets of sleeves 8 and 9, in alinement with each other.

Independent and separated shafts, 10 and 11 preferably of tubular steel, pass through and are guided by the sleeves, and bear at opposed points therein against rollers 12 in the sleeves 8 above the shafts, and rollers 13 in the sleeves 9 below the shafts. The sleeves 8 are adjacent the ends of the beam 3*, while the sleeves 9 are relatively adjacent each other.

The rollers are so disposed relative to the shafts as to permit of the latter being slidable through the sleeves without undue friction, while allowing the sleeves and rollers turning movement about the shafts as an axis.

The shaft 10, which is that one on the frame 3 nearest the tln'esher and swing frame, has a ball and socket joint lei with said swing frame at that end, so that the adjacent end of the header frame is supported from the swing frame. The outer end of the other and outer shaft 11 carries a ground bearing wheel 15, which supports the outer end of the header.

Since the shafts are in alinement even though separated, the entire header structure can turn on the shafts on an axis, in order to enable the cutting level of the bar l to be altered, as is necessary.

To the shaft 11, adjacentthe wheel 15, is swivelly n'iounted one end of a brace beam 16, the opposite end of which extends rearwardly at a horizontal angle to the frame 3 and is flexibly connected to the frame 1 to the rear of the swing frame.

The angular setting of this beam relative to the header is sufficient to cause it to brace the header as a whole against rearward deflection from its proper angular or lateral setting relative to the thresher.

Swivelly connected at one end to the opposite or inner end of shaft 11, beyond its sleeve 9, is a beam 17, which extends substantially parallel to the horizontal plane of the frame 3, and is similarly connected at its other end to the frame 1, in substantial horizontal alinement with the point of connection therewith of the beam 16.

To hold the header frame against unrestricted movement on the shafts transversely of the thresher, a connecting rod 18 is pivoted on the frame 1 in substantial vertical alinemeut with and above the point of connection of the beam 17 therewith, the opposite end of the beam being pivoted on the header frame in alinement with the pivotal connection therewith of the usual feed spout 19 which extends upwardly from L-llG header draper 6 to the feed house 20 of the thresher.

In operation, as long as the header and thresher are working on level ground, no

relative movement between the various connecting members of the header will of course be had.

If, however, the header is working on an upwardly sloping hill, as shown in Fig. 3, the frame 3, while still remaining parallel to the ground, will be farther away from the adjacent side of the thresher than it was when on level ground. This is on account of he positioning of the connecting rod 18, which slopes down from the thresher to the header end. and therefore as the frame 3, to-

which said rod is connected, is raised, the arc of movement of the adjacent end of the rod 18 extends away from the thresher, (until the rod lies horizontally), and since tl'ic thresher to which the opposite en d of the rod is conne' ted is relatively immovable, the header frame moves out.

This it can of course do without straining any of the other parts or connections, owing to the slidable shafts which support the header frame and to whicl'i all other connections are attached. The shaft 10, connected to the swing fran'ie at. one end and free at its other end, of course permits the frame 3 relative movement to *a rd or a ay from the thresher and swing frame.

The wheel 15, mounted on the other slidable and independent shaft 11 moves in or out relative to the threshcr and to the header frame, independently of the latter and to a lesser d 'e but is kept at all times in parallel inement to the path of movement of the thresher. This is on account of the flexible connection of the beams 16 and 17 with the wheel-shaft 11, which beams, while set at different angles relative to each other, are connected to the thresher in common horizontal alinement, and thus work to gether in harmony to control the wheel shaft, since their arcs of movement, at their shaft ends are concentric. At the same time, regardless of the angular setting of the header relative to the thresher and the positioning of the wheel 15 relative to the header frame, the functioning of the beams 16 and 17 as braces besides being wheel-control members, remains undisturbed.

Another very important advantage is gained with the above described c0nstru i: tie-n, and that is that the inner and upper end of the feed spout 11.9 is held in a practically constant position relative to the backwall X of the feed house 20, regardless of the slant of the header relative to the hervester.

The maintenance of this distance very necessary to permit the cut grain as deli"- ered from the feed spout to be discharged onto the feed-belt Y of the feed house with out danger of local congestion of the ,Q'i'tlllladen straw. A

In threshers as now constructed, very little if any provision has been made to avoid such congestion, which necessitates stopping of the thresher to manually relieve the congestion. In some cases the feed spout has, while operating on side hills, actually come in contact with the back wall of the feed house, resulting in breakage of the latter.

The above feature however is specifically described and claimed in my patent on header-frame and feed-spout connection, No. 1,542,126, dated June 16th, 1925. The particular form and arrangement of drive betwem the thresher and header as shown herein is specifically described and claimed in my patent on header drive mechanism, No. 1,539,011, dated May 26th, 1925.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I have produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

WVhile the specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a side hill harvester comprising a thresher having a main frame, a header structure extending laterally thereof and having an outer-end supporting wheel, and

means for causing the thresher to be main-' tained on a horizontal level irrespective of ground slope; connecting means between the header structure and the thresher arranged to cause the axis of the said outer-end supporting wheel to be maintained in a plane at right angles with respect to the longitudinal plane of the thresher irrespectlve of the vertical angular setting of the header relative to the thresher.

2. In a side-hill harvester comprising a thresher and a header structure extending laterally thereof and having an outer-end supporting wheel, the thresher including a main frame and a wheel-supported swing frame arranged for vertical movement relative to the main frame in a plane longitudinally of the thresher and located between said main frame and the header; a rigid rod pivoted on the thresher and on the header-frame, and a rigid member swivelly connected to the swing frame and slidably mounted on the header frame in a manner to form a support for the adjacent end of the latter.

3. In a side-hill harvester, comprising a thresher and a header structure extending laterally thereof and having an outer-end supporting wheel, the thresher including a.

main frame and a wheel-supported swing frame arranged for vertical movement relative to the main frame in a plane longitudinally of the thresher and located be tween said main frame and the header; a rigid rod pivoted on the thresher and on the header structure, a shaft swivelly connected to the swing frame and slidably mounted on the header frame, an independ-- ent shaft slidably mounted in the header frame and on which the said outer-end supporting wheel is mounted, and a beam swivelly connected to the wheel-shaft and to the thresher frame.

4. In a side-hill harvester comprising a thresher and a header structure extending laterally thereof and having an outer-end supporting wheel, the thresher including a main frame and a wheel-supported swing frame arranged for vertical movement relative to the main frame in a plane longitudinally of the thresher and located between said main frame and the header; a rigid rod pivoted on the thresher and on the headerstructure, a shaft swivelly connected to the swing frame and slidably mounted on the header frame, an independent shaft slidably mounted in the header frame and on which the said outer-end supporting wheel is mounted, and a beam swivelly connected to the wheel-shaft and extending rearwardly at an angle thereto to a swivel connection with the thresher frame, whereby to maintain the wheel in a predetermined re lation to the thresher regardless of the lat eral position of the header-frame, and to act as a brace against horizontal deflection of the outer end of the header.

5. In a side-hill harvester comprising a thresher and a header structure extending laterally thereof and having an outer-end supporting Wheel, the thresher including a main frame and a wheel-supported swing frame arranged for vertical movement relative to the main frame in a plane longitudinally of the thresher and located between said main frame and the header;-a rigid rod pivoted on the thresher and on the header structure, a shaft swivelly connected to the swing frame and slidably mounted on the header frame, to support the adjacent end of the same, means connecting the said outer-end supporting wheel to the header frame for lateral sliding movement relative thereto, and means between said first named means and the thresher arranged to serve both as a brace to prevent horizontal deflection of the header and to maintain the wheel in predetermined relation to the thresher regardless of the lateral movement or vertical angular setting of the header frame relative to the thresher.

6. In a side-hill harvester comprising a thresher and a header structure extending laterally thereof and having an outer-end supporting wheel, the thresher including a main frame and a wheel-supported swing" frame arranged for vertical movement relative to the main frame in a plane longitudinally of the thresher and located between said main frame and the header; a rigid rod pivoted 0n the thresher and on the header structure, a shaft swivelly connected to the swing frame and slidably mounted on the header irzune, and means connecting the said outer-end supporting Wheel to the header and thresher frames in a manner to maintain the Wheel in a definite relation to the thresher irrespective of any movement of the header.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

GEORGE H. HARRIS. 

